Destiny and Fate
by akaiihana
Summary: Now that The Prince And The Raven has finished, everyone's free to live the way they want to. But sometimes, there are some things that are destined that no one can change.
1. Chapter 1: After the Wedding

**Destiny and Fate**

**By akaiihana**

Disclaimer: I don't own anything of Princess Tutu…wish I did, though!

**Chapter One: After the Wedding**

_Mytho confessed his great love for Rue and asked her to become his princess. Rue started to cry with happiness. She held the little duck close to her._

_"I love you, Ahiru."_

_Fakir and Ahiru smiled at each other as they watched the new princess and prince kiss. Then they flew away on a flying carriage pulled by swans._

_"Thank you so much."_

_They said their goodbyes to one another. Fakir and Ahiru watched them fly away into the skies, to their new home, to a new life together._

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Fakir and Ahiru lived together in a small house by the lake. Although Ahiru was a duck now and no longer a girl, Fakir still loved her very much. Ahiru had no idea, though. Fakir had always been good at hiding his emotions.

Fakir, after his first story about the Prince and the Raven, now wrote stories for a living. Like his ancestor Drosselmeyer, the stories he wrote came true, although he did not write tragedies. He only wrote stories that made people happy.

One day, he thought of writing another story but couldn't seem to think of what to write about. His eyes roved over the landscape of their home, and they suddenly settled on Ahiru, swimming in the lake. He suddenly got the idea of writing a story about her.

"Ahiru, would you like to become human again?" he asked Ahiru.

"Quack!" Ahiru answered, jumping up and down.

"I'll take that as a yes." Fakir laughed. He went inside to get more paper and pens. When he came back outside, he also had a chair with him.

"Quack?" (You're going to write outside?) Ahiru asked.

"Stupid duck, I can't understand you." he smiled. He sat down on the chair and started his new story. He wanted to finish it as soon as possible.

_Once upon a time, there was a princess by the name of Princess Tutu. She was a princess only because she had a special pendant that could turn her into Princess Tutu. Without it, she was only a mere duck. She was only a character in a storybook. But one day, this storybook became reality. All the characters in it became true people. So she became real as well._

_In that story, she was destined to live in misery and despair forever. But she chose to have hope. And she changed the entire story, literally. She made the ending become happy for everyone, all because she had hope. She even changed her own destiny. In the story, she was meant to disappear forever. But instead, she fell in love with_

Fakir couldn't continue. He couldn't just write that Ahiru had fallen in love with _him_, no matter how much he wanted to. It would have been just like he controlled her. She would only have loved him because that was the story. Fakir didn't want that at all. He wanted her to love him for what he was. He loved her very much, but he couldn't tell her. So he crumpled up the story that he had begun. He decided to change the story to something better, something that would enable them to be together.

_Once upon a time, there was a little duck by the name of Ahiru. She wanted to become a real girl. She had been a real girl once, but she had become a duck again. So she had asked help from a writer. Why a writer? Well, this writer wrote stories that always came true. So Ahiru wanted to ask him to write a story about her so that she could become human again. So that is what that writer did. So Ahiru became a real girl once again because of the writer's story. When she became human again, she was wearing the red pendant that she had worn during the days that she was a real girl, in the past._

Fakir sighed and put down his pen.

"I'm only doing this because this is what _I _want."

He couldn't think of anything else to write. He decided that it was enough for the moment and stood up to return to the house.

Suddenly there was a brilliant flash of light and he heard a scream behind him. When he turned around, he got a faceful of water in his face.

"Don't look! Don't look!" Ahiru screamed.

. "Huh? Why are you speaking? Are you…" He said, coughing and wiping water out of his eyes. He suddenly understood what happened. His story had already taken effect even though he hadn't finished it yet. Ahiru had become human again.

"F-fakir, would y-you mind g-getting me some c-clothes?" Ahiru asked him, shivering.

"Oh right! I'm so sorry." He removed the long jacket he was wearing. "Put this on so you won't catch cold. I'll get some clothes for you to wear." He went inside and got some clothes, remembering too late that since Ahiru was a duck, she didn't have any clothes.

"I'm sorry, Ahiru, you'll have to wear some of…my clothes for now. We can probably get you some proper clothes later on." Fakir blushed and turned around.

"Thank you. Um…you can turn around now." Ahiru said, after putting on the clothes.

Fakir turned around and almost laughed out loud. The clothes that he had given Ahiru were much too big for her. The sleeves of her shirt were too long and so were the pant legs. She was rolling them up because she could hardly move in them.

Ahiru saw him smirking and shouted, "What are you laughing at? It isn't my fault that your clothes are so big!"

_They smell really nice though…wait, what am I thinking?! _Ahiru covered her mouth just in time to muffle her quack at the thought.

"Ahiru, I was just kidding. You do look a bit funny though." Fakir laughed.

Ahiru looked up at him with surprise. She'd never heard him laugh before, and he'd rarely smiled, even these days. He didn't go around with a permanent frown anymore, though, which could only be an improvement.

"In the first place, how did I even become human? Is it because of the pendant? How did I even get it back?" she asked.

"Oh. It's because I was writing a story about…well…you." Fakir blushed. "It isn't finished though. I'll probably continue it based on what's going to happen from now on."

"Oh… Fakir…why were you writing a story – about me?"

"Because…because…"

Suddenly they heard footsteps coming closer.

"Ahiru, go inside!" Fakir whispered. "It'll get awkward if they start asking questions about you. I'll try to explain everything later."

Ahiru obeyed Fakir and ran inside the house. She went to the second floor so no one would see her.

The footsteps came nearer and nearer and suddenly stopped. When Fakir turned around, he saw Mytho and Rue behind them. They were holding hands and smiling at him.

"Oh, it's you two! How have you been?" Fakir said in relief and surprise.

"Thanks, we've been fine." Mytho replied. Fakir opened the door so that they could come in. He looked around for Ahiru and was about to call her when Rue said, "Fakir, where's Ahiru?"

"She's probably upstairs. I'll call her." Fakir replied.

Too late. Ahiru came tumbling down the stairs after tripping on her pants. She landed right at Mytho and Rue's feet.

"Hi, you guys! How are you? We weren't expecting you! But it's really nice to see you again, we've missed you a lot!" Ahiru said, beaming happily.

"Ahiru…you're…a…human? But - but how?" Rue asked.

"I wrote a story." Fakir answered.

"Oh I see!" Mytho said. "Fakir's stories always come out true."

"That's right." Fakir said.

"Wait a minute…" Rue thought for a moment and whispered to Fakir, "Why are you writing stories about Ahiru, huh?" she giggled.

Ahiru and Mytho had no idea what was going on. Sweatdrops appeared on their heads as Rue laughed and Fakir blushed.

"What's so funny, Rue?" Ahiru asked.

"Hey Fakir, you're blushing! How come?" Mytho asked.

Fakir whispered to Rue, "Do you mind if we…kept this to ourselves?"

"Sure! Fakir…do you plan on telling her?" Rue asked.

"Well…I guess I will. Just…not anytime soon, I guess." Fakir answered.

Fakir walked to the window and stared outside. With a few strokes of his pen, he had changed their lives. Nothing would ever be the same again.

"I just wonder…if I did the right thing."

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**A/N** Hey readers! Hope you enjoyed the first chapter of **Destiny and Fate**! Review me please… that way I can improve the story, okay? I'm planning on making this a really long one. So look forward to many, many chapters more to come! **Review review review!**


	2. Chapter 2: Our New Life

Disclaimer: I don't own anything of Princess Tutu…wish I did, though!

**Chapter Two: Our New Life**

Fakir was still staring out the window when Mytho clapped him on the back.

"Come on, Fakir! To celebrate Ahiru becoming human again, I'll treat you all! Let's go out somewhere!" Mytho said.

Fakir laughed. "All right then. It's on you! Let's go!"

They walked back to town together. Rue let Fakir and Mytho walk ahead of them and stayed behind them with Ahiru. They watched the two best friends talk and joke around and walked behind them.

"Hey Ahiru…how's it like living with Fakir?"

"It's okay. Fakir's really nice to me, even when I was a duck. He always called me 'stupid duck' though." Ahiru laughed. "It's fine, I'm used to it. You could say it's his pet name for me."

"That's good, but what I meant was…do you like it?"

"Yeah, I do. It's lots of fun and…I like it where we live.

"Ahiru…do you like Fakir?"

Ahiru blushed and said, "Well Rue, it's funny you should ask that. The thing is, sometimes I feel like he's my brother, and sometimes my best friend, but sometimes…I feel something more than that. It's really confusing."

"Maybe you should think about what you _want _to feel about him. Then maybe you'll know. You see Ahiru, sometimes it really is confusing. But it's all up to your own choice."

"You're right, Rue. Actually, I meant to tell you that even before. My feelings for Fakir, I mean. I thought maybe you could help me figure it out. I'm glad you asked."

"No problem, Ahiru."

Rue smiled to herself as they continued walking behind the two guys. She was thinking of what she could do to bring them together. She knew that they felt something for one another. The next thing was, how would she get them to tell one another? Then she suddenly got an idea.

"Hey, you two!" Rue ran to catch up with Mytho and Fakir. "Where are we going to eat? I'm getting hungry…"

Mytho and Fakir looked at one another. "Well, I think Ahiru should decide. This celebration is for her, after all." Mytho finally said.

"Hey, this isn't fair. Mytho, you should decide! You're the one who's treating us! You decide! Besides, I haven't been out in a while. I have no idea if the cafes that we used to go to are still open! It has been a long time. And you know that I've been a duck all that time, so you decide, okay?" Ahiru argued.

"Oh come on, Ahiru!" Rue said. "Yeah, you really should decide." Mytho said.

Ahiru looked at Fakir. For some odd reason he was keeping silent. Mytho and Rue noticed it as well. They were all looking at him now, and he didn't even take notice. He seemed to be wrapped in his own world.

"Fakir? A-are you okay?" Ahiru timidly asked him.

"Fakir? Fakir? FAKIR!" Mytho yelled at him.

"What in the world's wrong with him?" Rue asked. "Hey Fakir, wake up!" she waved a hand in front of his face.

Fakir jumped and shook his head. "I'm okay. I must have spaced out there."

Mytho felt his forehead. "You don't seem to have a fever. Are you sure you're okay?"

"No, really, I'm fine. I'm sorry to have caused so much trouble." Fakir said.

"I'm sure Fakir was just thinking about – " Rue was cut off by Fakir's extremely scary glare that clearly said, _don't you dare say it! _" – some_thing_."

"Uh, yeah, that was it! I was just thinking." Fakir replied.

Ahiru sighed in relief and said, "Well, I'm glad to see you're okay. Are you sure you'll be fine going out? We could go back home if you like!" Ahiru didn't notice Rue's giggles over her concern.

"No, seriously. I'm okay! Besides, Mytho's taking us out to enjoy!" Fakir smiled at Ahiru. "Thanks for the concern anyway, you guys. Now come on, let's go!"

The friends laughed and continued walking. In a short while, they were at the town. They resumed their argument of who would decide where to eat.

"I know! We could go eat at that new restaurant, The Blue Tile! I hear it's pretty good there. You wanna go try it out?" Mytho suggested to the others.

"I guess we should, to avoid any more arguments." Fakir laughed.

"All right! Let's go!" Rue said.

Ahiru laughed and said, "Thanks, Mytho. I'm glad I didn't have to decide where we were going to eat!"

"Well anyway, we should go now. It's still a little way up the street." Mytho said.

When they were finally inside The Blue Tile, they were amazed. It really was a nice restaurant. It was the perfect place for friends. There were other groups of people their age who were already there, talking, eating and laughing. It was pretty full.

"Mytho, this place is great!" Rue, Ahiru and Fakir exclaimed.

"There are even sound barriers so that each table can't be heard by the one beside it. Isn't that cool? We could talk about anything and no one except ourselves would hear!" Mytho told them. "Maybe we should go get a table now."

"Hello, would you like to sit down now?" A waitress smiled at them. "There's an empty table for four over there." She led Mytho's group over to the table. They sat down and the waitress handed each of them a menu. "Take your time to choose, okay? There's plenty of great food to choose from!"

"We'll have spaghetti with meatballs, roast chicken, and four mango shakes." Mytho said. "Is that okay with you guys?"

The others nodded. With their approval, the waitress took down their orders. "It'll be here in a little while. We're sorry for the wait, but we're full today."

"That's alright, we can wait a while." Fakir said.

"Thank you." the waitress said.

The waitress left them at their table. Looking around at where they were, Ahiru was suddenly hit by the fact that everything was so different from the way it used to be. The fact that the four of them were even eating together was a surprise.

**Ahiru's POV**

Wow. Has it really been that long since we were in the story of the Prince and the Raven? I know we're still in the story, but it's so different from before. I used to dislike Fakir so much! And now we even live in the same house, and Rue and Mytho are married!

Well, if you think about it everything's really changed. And it's all changed for the better. I'm glad I'm human again. Now there's actually a chance for Fakir and I to…to be together, just like Mytho and Rue.

-end-

Their food finally arrived. They started eating the delicious food. It really was good, just like Mytho said it would be. They laughed and joked with one another while eating.

"Hey Fakir, how's your writing going?" Rue asked him.

"It's going fine. I've written a lot of stories now, have you noticed?" Fakir remarked.

"Yup, I've read some of them. They're good, you know. And they all have happy endings." Mytho grinned at Fakir. "Don't go becoming like Drosselmeyer and start writing tragedies, or else I'll cut off your hands!"

"Try it if you can, Mytho!" Fakir countered.

"Oh come on, you guys." Ahiru laughed.

"Hey Ahiru, how's it like being human again?" Mytho asked.

"Do you still become a duck again when you quack?" Rue asked.

Ahiru giggled. "Well, I haven't yet. I didn't become a girl by becoming wet. In fact, all that happened was a transformed into a girl again, and I still have this red pendant from before when – when I was…Princess Tutu.

The group fell silent as all of them started thinking about the past. Suddenly, Ahiru floated into the air as though she was a marionette, hanging by her strings in midair.

"What?! What's happening? Help me!" Ahiru screamed.

"Ahiru!"

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**A/N **hey you guys, hope you enjoyed the next part of **Destiny and Fate**! there'll be a lot more to come…read and review alright? Thanks very much to **soraluver234** and **Princess-tutu-007** for the reviews!


	3. Chapter 3: Nothing's Changed

A/N: I'm BACK! HA! I forgot about finishing this because it's been such a long time. But hey, what the heck? I'm inspired:D

Usual disclaimers: I don't own Princess Tutu, sadly enough.

**Chapter Three: Nothing's Changed**

"Ahiru!"

Suddenly, the atmosphere seemed to have changed. It had become dark, and time seemed to have frozen everything to their places…except for the four friends, of course.

All of them simultaneously jumped up and grabbed hold of Ahiru's hands. Some strange and strong force was pulling her away from them.

"No…Ahiru, hold on!"

"Help! What's happening to me?"

Abruptly, everything went back to normal. Ahiru dropped down…right into Fakir's arms.

"Ah! I-I'm sorry, Fakir!"

"It's alright. Stupid duck."

Even in his worry and relief, Fakir couldn't help but call her that. Ahiru was right – it had become his pet name for her. He refused to look at Rue for fear he might give it all away. As it was, Rue was grinning broadly at him. He could feel it and blushed slightly. He put Ahiru down in the chair beside him.

"What happened, anyway?" Mytho asked musingly. As always, he and Ahiru were oblivious to the subtle hints in Fakir's blush and Rue's smile.

Ahiru was feeling the shock from what had happened. She slumped down in her chair with her face on the table.

"Are you okay, Ahiru?" Rue asked concernedly. "You aren't hurt?"

"I'm fine. It was just a bit of a shock, that's all."

Understatement of the year, Ahiru thought. But she wouldn't let them worry about her. She was puzzled, though. First, she became a girl after weeks of being a duck again, but at least that had an explanation. Now this? It was like being back in the old days again when unexpected things happened so often they weren't unexpected anymore.

"I wonder if this has something to do with Drosselmeyer again." Fakir scowled.

"Let's just forget about it for now. We're supposed to be enjoying today! We're all together again!" Ahiru smiled at all of them.

Mytho and Rue agreed with Ahiru. Fakir couldn't let go of his doubts so easily, though he tried to stop thinking about it for the moment. After all, they were celebrating.

Their food arrived, and they all started eating. The food was delicious.

"We should eat here more often." Rue said approvingly.

"It's as good as they said it was." Mytho smiled. "So how's it been for you and Ahiru, Fakir?"

"Maybe I should ask you and Rue that." Fakir smiled a bit.

"It's been great being with Rue. Especially since we're all living our own lives again now that Drosselmeyer's gone to another of his other tragedies."

Fakir agreed wholeheartedly. Now their destinies were their own, theirs to do what they liked.

"Now, you have to answer my question, Fakir. You should have answered first anyway, since I asked first." Mytho joked.

"Well…" Fakir paused. He could feel Rue's smug grin again.

"It's been great!" Ahiru jumped in. "Although I've just been a duck, for some reason I like it better like this. Better than when we were still taking ballet with Neko-sensei."

"Maybe it's because we're just living the way we want to. We don't have to follow some tragic story anymore." Fakir added.

After they had finished eating, they paid and walked back to Ahiru and Fakir's house. It really was their house. It wasn't just Fakir's. It was theirs. Technically, they _were _living together.

"So you just sit here and write?" Mytho asked Fakir.

"Well, yeah. It's really nice here, you know." Fakir answered.

Meanwhile, the two girls were sitting by the lake, gazing at the landscape.

"It's really pretty here. I can see where Fakir gets his inspiration from." Rue said appreciatively.

"Yeah. I really like it here." Ahiru said reflectively.

"What do you like about living here, Ahiru?"

Good question, Ahiru thought. What was it that she liked so much about this place? It was just like any other house by the lake.

"Well…I guess it's because I'm happy being with Fakir."

Rue looked at Ahiru, thinking. _Maybe she still needs some time to work out what she's feeling right now. Maybe she's happy being with Fakir because she loves him but just doesn't know it yet. Anyhow, I'll let her figure it out herself._

"Ahiru? Why are you happy living with Fakir? You used to hate him back then." Rue asked, not knowing what she was expecting Ahiru to say.

"I know. Well, maybe it's because back then, I didn't know what a warm person he was. He's really nice to me and he takes care of me. Not like before. And…" Ahiru left the sentence hanging.

"And…?"

"I don't know just what I feel about him yet. But it's different from what I felt with Mytho before." Ahiru said thoughtfully.

Ahiru had loved Mytho – no, she still loved Mytho, but now just as friends. Back then? She loved him because he was so sad and she wanted to protect him. What kind of love was that?

"Rue, what kind of love did I feel for Mytho back then?"

She suddenly remembered who she was talking to, and tried to take it back.

"No, I-I mean…um…"

"It's okay, Ahiru." Rue smiled. "I think you loved him because you felt sorry for him. Is that it?"

There were other reasons, but Ahiru realized that was the main one. She had felt pity for Mytho and that was why she wanted to protect him.

So what was it now that she felt for Fakir?

Just as she was about to ask this question, she nearly got a heart attack as a deep voice suddenly said her name. Right beside her ear.

"Ahiru."

"QUACK!"

A pile of clothes was left where she had once been. The pile started to shake as a duck's head popped out from the bottom.

"QUACK QUACK, QUACK QUACK QUACK!" It quacked angrily.

"Fakir, that wasn't nice." Mytho said reprovingly. He and Fakir were standing right behind Rue and Ahiru.

"Well, now at least we know she still is a stupid duck." Fakir said. Unseen by them all, he smiled.

Ahiru jumped into the water, and turned instantly into a girl.

"That was a mean trick, Fakir!" She turned brick red as she realized that she was naked. Mytho's and Fakir's backs were facing her. Their faces were as red as hers were.

"Maybe you should dress first, Ahiru." Rue laughed and handed her the clothes she was wearing a while ago.

A/N: Did you like it? **Review review!** I'll post the next chapter later, maybe if I have more time. Must use up inspiration:D :D :D Thanks to everyone who's reviewed this so far!


	4. Chapter 4: It's Just You And Me

A/N: Cool! Not even 5 hours have gone by since I posted chapter 3 and I already have a review! XD Thanks to Lunarstar Princess Krystal! And thanks Nicc :P

Okay, no more delaying. Let the story commence:))

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**Chapter Four: It's Just You and Me**

Shortly afterwards, Rue and Mytho prepared to leave. After all, they still had a kingdom to rule.

"You're leaving already?" Ahiru said sadly.

Rue smiled and gave Ahiru a hug. "We'll visit more often, don't worry."

"Thanks for coming, you two. You should visit more often." Fakir stood up and hugged Mytho. "Take care of yourselves."

"That means a lot coming from you, Fakir." Mytho smiled and hugged him back. "We'll come back next week. Take care of yourselves."

"Oh, and Fakir," Rue added just as they were stepping out the door, "take care of Ahiru." she added in a whisper, slightly smiling as Fakir blushed.

"Bye! Take care!" Ahiru waved to the couple as they walked down the path. They waved back, smiling.

"I had fun today. Did you?" Ahiru asked Fakir, beaming.

Fakir relaxed and smiled. "Yeah, it was nice seeing them again."

The two of them went back inside, and suddenly, everything that had happened that day sunk in. Especially the fact that Ahiru was now a girl. The two of them sweatdropped.

"Fakir? Where am I going to sleep? I don't think I'm going to fit into the basket anymore." Ahiru asked.

"Uh…just sleep on my bed for now. I'll figure out something tomorrow." Fakir said. After all, what else could he have done?

"Um, okay. Are you sure? I feel guilty for kicking you out of the bed. I could always just share it with you…or something…"

What she was saying suddenly registered to both of them. She blushed bright red, as did Fakir.

"No…um, I didn't mean it like that! I just meant…well…I'd feel bad if you had to sleep on the floor because of me, so, um…" Ahiru's voice trailed off.

"No, I don't mind. I'll sleep on the floor. Just sleep on the bed." Fakir said more gruffly than he meant, because he was trying not to give himself away. He turned around so that Ahiru wouldn't see how red his face was.

"Okay…but Fakir, I'd still feel bad." Ahiru persisted. One would think that she actually wanted him to sleep beside her, but being Ahiru, she was of course just acting out of her natural warmheartedness.

"Don't. I'd feel bad if you had to sleep on the floor. Forget it, okay? I'm going to prepare food."

Ahiru sighed. _Did I offend him again? I was just trying to be nice…_

She started setting the table for the two of them. Only, there were only dishes for one person. Ahiru sweatdropped. She dreaded what she was about to do, but she had to do it anyway. She went to the kitchen to where Fakir was preparing food.

"Fakir? There are only plates for one person…"

Fakir cursed inwardly. Now that Ahiru was a human again, there were going to be some things that they were going to need getting used to.

"We'll just have to share. Ordinarily, I'd let you use them, but then, I'd have to eat like a dog, wouldn't I?"

"I-I'm sorry, Fakir! You're having to go through all this trouble –"

He turned around to face her, surprised.

"What are you apologizing for? Aren't you happy being human again?"

His conscience suddenly stung him as he remembered that she was human because of him. He had written her story. It was because he had wanted her to become human again. It was because of his selfishness. Now she was apologizing? Why in the world would she be apologizing to him?

"This is because of me! Maybe I should leave now that I'm human –"

Her voice broke. Fakir nearly felt his heart break at the sound of her voice. She had absolutely nothing to be sorry about. If anyone should be apologizing, it should have been him. He had done this to her. He couldn't take it any longer. He crossed the room and took hold of her hand. His other hand lifted her face so that he could look at her properly.

"We've discussed this. I promised you. I'm going to stay with you forever no matter what happens. Right? So even if you leave, I'm going to follow you to wherever you're going."

He had done it. All the emotions that Ahiru was holding back just burst out of her. She pulled her hand out of his to cover her face. Her whole body shook with sobs. She sank to her knees with the force of her crying.

Fakir stared at her in shock. Their supper was totally forgotten. He had just made her cry. The sound of her sobs made _him_ want to cry. He bent down and hugged her close. She was so warm. He hated himself for doing this to her.

"I'm sorry, Ahiru…"

His hold on her tightened. If Ahiru left him…he wouldn't be able to take it. He meant every word when he said he'd stay by her side forever. Ahiru couldn't leave. If she left, Fakir would die. They lived because of one another. They lived _for _one another. A tear slid down Fakir's cheek. He loved her so much.

Ahiru was embarrassed at herself for crying all over Fakir, but she couldn't help it. She didn't expect Fakir to say something like that to her. Most especially, she did not expect him to comfort her like this. At that moment, all that mattered to them both was that moment.

Fakir stood up, taking hold of Ahiru's hand again. The movement was very familiar to both of them. Slowly, Fakir drew her close again. She had stopped crying. They slowly started to dance. Although they had only danced it once, they remembered it all perfectly. It was their pas de deux when they were in the Lake of Despair.

They stopped dancing. Fakir smiled at Ahiru.

"Feeling better?"

"Yeah."

They didn't say anything more. Their dance had expressed everything for them. There wasn't any need to say anything else. They communicated without words, their pas de deux expressed all of their feelings exquisitely.

Suddenly, Ahiru collapsed. Fakir caught her just in time. He knew she was just asleep; everything that had happened had tired her out. He smiled down at her light form in his arms. He carried to the bed and laid her down. Feeling the fatigue from the day himself, he sank down onto the floor beside the bed and fell asleep with his head resting on the bed.

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A/N: This has got to be one of the cheesiest things I've ever written. OO but I'm happy with it. I've always wanted to write something so disgustingly cheesy and fluffy that I'd be totally satisfied. XD And now I have. Yaay! Read and review! Hope you liked it even if it was so cheesy and everything. But my other oneshot's cheesier. Read that if you want to see how cheesy I can get. :P


	5. Chapter 5: It's Just A Bud

A/N: As you can probably tell, I wrote 3 chapters of this all in one day. xD but I'm going to wait for more reviews before I post the following chapters. I'm overly inspired. I wish inspiration was scattered along the week. Instead, about a month's worth of inspiration is crammed into one day. TT since you can never tell when inspiration will come back, I'm writing the next chapter.

Usual disclaimer: I don't mind not owning Princess Tutu. gasp but to dance like her would be enough. XD

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**Chapter Five: It's Just A Bud**

Ahiru woke up to the rays of the sun shining on the bedspread. She sat up and stretched, yawning. Suddenly, she saw Fakir, his dark locks come undone from the ponytail his hair was usually in, sleeping beside her. He looked all tired out.

_Fakir must have brought me here, _she realized. A wave of affection came over her for the knight. She remembered this happening before, only it was she who had helped Fakir into bed then falling asleep beside him with her head resting on the bed.

_Now we're even, Fakir, _she thought, and smiled, studying his face.

As if he had felt her smile, he stirred slightly, opening his eyes. He woke to see her cerulean eyes gazing intently at him. Their faces were so close…he could feel a blush starting on his face, but he fought it.

"Good morning, Fakir." She smiled at him again sweetly.

Embarrassed, he pretended to still be sleepy and leaned his head back onto the bed so that she wouldn't see him blushing.

"Good morning," he gruffly said.

"Are you still sleepy?" Ahiru asked concernedly, then moved over to make room for him on the bed. "You can sleep here, I'm already awake anyway."

"No thanks, I'm fine. I suppose you'll want to come to school with me now that you're human. I stopped going since Rue and Mytho left, but I suppose we should go back now."

"Really?! We can go back and see Lilie and Pique again?!" Ahiru squealed excitedly. She hurriedly got out of bed, caught her foot on the edge of the bed and slipped, landing face first on the floor.

"Is this the way it's going to be every morning now?" Fakir rolled his eyes, but smiled. "Yes, we're going, so you better hurry, stupid duck." He helped her up and noted the large red mark on her forehead, which she was rubbing painfully.

"I'm going to get ice for that. You better be dressed by the time I come back or else we're going to be late. And Ivan-sensei will murder us." He had already gone out by the time he had said this last sentence. Ahiru, puzzled over who Ivan-sensei was, was still sitting on the floor by the time Fakir came back with the ice.

"Stupid duck, I told you to get dressed," Fakir grumbled as he handed her the ice. "I'm going to get dressed, then we can get some of your clothes over at Charon's. Hopefully your old clothes are still there."

"Okay." Ahiru stepped out and closed the door, holding the ice to her forehead, which was helpfully wrapped in a handkerchief of Fakir's. After a few minutes, Fakir came out, dressed in the school uniform of blue blazer over a white lacy shirt with white pants and shoes.

Together, they walked down the path to Charon's house. It was strange for Ahiru to think that everyone had forgotten about her already, except Fakir and Charon. Charon didn't forget her for some reason. They were the only two people in the world who knew her and cared for her now that Rue and Mytho were away. But now, she was going to meet her friends all over again.

"Fakir, who's Ivan-sensei? What happened to Neko-sensei?" Ahiru asked.

"Oh, when the story ended everyone went back to normal. So now Ivan-sensei's there, and Neko-sensei's just a regular cat. Only now, he FINALLY got married and he has a family."

"Oh, good for him!"

"But Ivan-sensei's also obsessed about getting married. Just like Neko-sensei."

"Oh, no."

Soon, they reached Charon's house and knocked on the door. Fakir opened it quietly to see Charon examining his many weapons.

"Oh hello there, Fakir!" Charon greeted him with a smile, then he saw Ahiru. He was quite surprised, considering that the last time he had seen her, she had been a duck.

"Hello, Ahiru. It's nice to see you again. What happened?" He smiled at Ahiru and shot a piercing look at Fakir. He had already figured out the fact that Fakir was writing a story for her. After all, who else would?

"Something happened and I became a girl again!" Ahiru beamed at him. "Um, Charon-san, are my clothes still here?"

"Of course they are! I've always kept them. I was expecting you to become a human again." With which cryptic reply, he turned around to enter another room, presumably to get Ahiru's clothes.

Ahiru, of course, was oblivious to Charon's last remark. It didn't go by Fakir, though. He decided to have a word with Charon before he left.

"Here you go," Charon smiled at Ahiru, carrying a medium-sized box into the room. He set it down onto the floor.

"All your clothes are still here. Your school uniforms are too, and your ballet things. I knew you'd need them again."

Another hint from Charon. Did he know more that he let on? Fakir was bursting with curiosity. Meanwhile, Ahiru was going through her things and letting out little exclamations of delight with each new discovery.

"Oh, my ballet shoes are still here! And my tights and leotard, and my yellow pants – thank you so much for keeping all this for me, Charon-san!" She smiled happily.

Charon smiled back. "You take care of your things, okay? You better dress for school now. You can't be late on your very first day. Come and pick up this box on the way home, okay?"

"Okay." Ahiru beamed at him. "Let's go, Fakir!"

"You go on ahead, I'll just be speaking with Charon about something," giving Charon a significant look, "I'll be right there."

"Hurry up, okay?"

Ahiru stepped out and started walking down the path to school. Meanwhile, Fakir turned around to face Charon.

"Charon, what's with all the hints? You expected Ahiru to become human again, and you knew she'd still need them? Is there something you know that I don't?"

Charon chuckled. "Well, Fakir, I knew you'd get around to writing her story sooner or later. Am I right?"

"What?!" Fakir blushed bright red, which made Charon laugh even more. "We're going to be late. We'll come back later okay? Bye."

Fakir rushed out the door and tried to keep the blush from showing on his face. That wasn't exactly the answer he'd been expecting from Charon.

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A/N: Yaaay! Five chapters done! Thanks to everyone who's reviewed :D I got some ideas of how I'm going to make the rest of this come out, especially after reading Madonnalal's story. It's one of the best I've read! The next chapters will probably be deeper instead of just revolving around Fakir and Ahiru. Nevertheless, rest assured that this is still primarily a Fakir x Ahiru! By the way, I reposted chapters 1-3 again, after editing them. I wrote those about a year ago and it's just sunk in how much they suck. XDDD

Hope you enjoyed this even though it's a bit shorter than usual. XD

By the way, I'd like a beta reader. Anyone willing to be one for me:) You can leave it in a review or just PM me. :D


	6. Chapter 6: A Threat Or A Warning?

A/N: Yaay! Now that we're on vacation I can update this. XD Thanks very much to everyone who's reviewed this so far!

Disclaimer: Ikuh Itoh's, not mine. Sadly.

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**Chapter Six: A Threat or A Warning?**

Fakir caught up to Ahiru, who by now had dressed in the gray and blue uniform for girls at Kinkan Academy. It had a tutu-like skirt with a long-sleeved blouse. Even their black shoes looked like ballet shoes. He had always found that kind of coincidental since they did take ballet lessons, but why was it that the whole school had the same uniform, although they took different classes? He shook his head slightly, his attention diverted by the fact that Ahiru was looking curiously at him. He was still blushing after that revelation.

"Fakir, why are you blushing?" She asked, and giggled. It was new to Ahiru to see him blushing like this. He looked so, well, cute.

_Cute?! What am I thinking?!_

"I-it's nothing." _Now I'm stuttering. How much worse can this get? _Fakir thought, cursing inwardly. He turned his face away.

"What's so funny, anyway?"

"I'm not used to seeing you blush!" Ahiru laughed. "It's nice that you aren't hiding your emotions as much as you used to, Fakir."

At this, Fakir was in grave danger of going up in flames because of the heat in his face. He looked around desperately for something to distract Ahiru from noticing, and for him to try to reduce his facial temperature in the process. His gaze fell on two girls, a blond one giggling madly and the other pink-haired one looking daggers at the pair of them.

"Hey, aren't those two your friends from school?" Fakir motioned with his chin to the two of them.

"Oh, it's Lilie and Pique!" Ahiru smiled happily. She would meet them again later. They didn't remember who she was anymore.

"I suppose you're going to have to make friends with them all over again, aren't you?" Fakir said, as though sensing her thoughts.

"Yeah, but that's okay." She beamed happily. It was obvious she was happy just seeing them again. Fakir felt his heart lift. She was happy. If she was happy, he was too. He was glad now that he had written the story to turn her back into a girl.

They continued walking on their way to school. Fakir felt a bit awkward. It was the first time he had ever walked to school with a girl beside him. And that the particular girl beside him right now was the girl he happened to be in love with.

She didn't seem to have any qualms walking with him, though. If anything, she was happy. Happy that they were friends and that he no longer shunned her. He had changed so much since the past.

_I changed because of her. She's the reason why._

He was distracted from his thoughts as he became aware of other students also walking to Kinkan Academy, some whispering excitedly, some even pointing fingers at the two of them.

He rolled his eyes and tried not to take any notice of them. The whispering grew louder and louder. Even Ahiru was looking self-conscious now.

"Fakir? Why are they all staring?" She asked in a whisper, looking around.

"Who cares? Don't pay attention to them. They're probably just interested because you're a new student."

_And the fact that you're with me._

At this thought, he blushed again, but struggled to restrain it. His pride would absolutely not allow him to enter Kinkan Academy again with a tomato-red face. He thankfully succeeded by taking deep breaths. Ahiru was puzzled at his behavior.

She lost track of her thoughts as they came within a short distance of the ballet building. The fountain of the two dancers came into view. She took in all the familiar sights with wide eyes. She had missed coming here so much.The bells in the clock tower began to chime, as the familiar figures of the knight, the swan, the prince and the princess dancing together emerged from inside.

"Come on, we're going to be late, Ahiru." Fakir reminded her quietly, placing on if his hands on her shoulder to gently steer her towards the ballet building.

When they reached the building, he opened the door and stepped back to let Ahiru pass first. She was about to walk to the ballet studio where they had classes, but on seeing that Fakir was going in a different direction, started to follow him instead.

They walked side by side towards Neko-sensei's old office, which was now occupied by the new teacher, Ivan-sensei. He knocked and opened the door quietly.

The room was neat, decorated with posters of ballerinas, pas de deux dancers, even the Eleki Troupe's old poster of Dornröschen-Schlaf back when they had performed at Kinkan Town. There was a large table with a matching chair, with two other seats, in front of a large window. A man was standing there, looking out the window at the students.

He turned around to face the two, his yellow eyes had mild surprise in them. He walked toward them. He moved with an almost feline grace, his body lithe and slender. His hair was strangely reminiscent of Neko-sensei's fur, the color of faded maroon.

He was exactly like Neko-sensei, only he was human. Fakir and Ahiru sweatdropped.

"Good morning," he greeted them, pulling out the chair and sitting down, motioning to the two chairs in front of his desk. "Have a seat. To what do I owe the pleasure of seeing you back, Fakir? And I see you have a friend with you," he said, smiling at Ahiru.

"Yes, that's Ahiru. She'll be taking lessons here too, Ivan-sensei." Fakir answered. He decided not to question how Ivan-sensei knew who he was. Probably he had heard about him from the other students.

"It's very nice to meet you, Ivan-sensei." Ahiru smiled at him.

"You'll be joining the regular classes then, unless you have taken ballet previously…?" Ivan-sensei waited for Ahiru to complete the statement.

"Um, well, I have, but not for long. I'm afraid I'm not much of a dancer just yet." Ahiru laughed nervously.

"That will not be any problem at all! That is why you are here, to learn! However, you must do your best always and not slack off practice! Or else, you will have to m-m-marry me!!"

Neko-sensei's familiar blue aura of passion was tangible in the air. Ahiru and Fakir hastily stood.

"But then, I suppose you two are probably planning to get married soon…" Ivan-sensei's words hung in the air and he continued musing to himself, looking at them.

The pair blushed as red as tomatoes. Neither of them would look at one another. It was just too embarrassing.

"I-i-it's nothing like that, really! Thank you very much for your time!" Ahiru blurted out. They left as quickly as they could. Apparently, the only thing that had changed about Neko-sensei was his name and his form, but the obsession for marriage and his passion for ballet remained.

The two of them separated a while later to go to the locker rooms in silence. They were still feeling awkward over what Ivan-sensei so obviously thought of the pair of them. And probably what the whole school thought of them, as well.

Fakir walked along the familiar corridor and opened the door to find the boys' locker room empty. He opened his locker, noting with some sadness that Mytho's old locker underneath his own was empty. He didn't expect to find anything in his locker, since it was the first time he'd returned since the story had ended.

He was surprised to see a small piece of paper rolled up into a scroll inside. It was sealed with red wax and had an unusual insignia on it, one that Fakir didn't recognize. He carefully opened it and unrolled the paper. The handwriting was small and spiky. He had never seen it before.

_Once upon a time…_

_There was a young girl who had beautiful wings. A man fell in love with her, and he bought a magical scarf from a witch to prevent her from flying away. He never wanted to be separated from her, so he wrapped her wings in that magic scarf. The girl's wings fell off, and she died, because her wings were her life._

_What was worse for the man: to discover that he had murdered his love, even if he had not meant to? Or the fact that he had been selfish enough to even try to chain her to him?_

Fakir's eyes opened wide. He knew what story was being narrated in the note. It was the story of _La Sylphide, _a well-known ballet. He'd danced it a few years ago with a girl he couldn't remember.

_But…what does this have to do…with me?_

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Endnotes:

1. The Eleki Troupe is in episode 6 of the series. Dornröschen-Schlaf is German for Sleeping Beauty, I think, since that was what it said on the poster, and that was the ballet performed. XD

2. La Sylphide is a ballet. I mentioned that, right? XD If you figured out the symbolism behind it, good for you. If you didn't, then you'll just have to wait for the next chapter and see!

3. Thought I'd try putting in one of those "mukashi mukashis" from the series. XD

Thanks very much to **anamicah, Fujiwara Kumiko, yuripA-boAspicA16 **(my friends and my cousin who took the time to read this XD), **na-chan, superkawaiifoxy, Lightning Princess **(thanks for the reviews! throws cookies) and to **LunarStar Princess Krystal **and **James Birdsong **for faithfully reviewing every chapter! Thanks a whole lot! It's really encouraging XD

Throws Fakir plushies to everyone Thanks especially to **Haruka Minamino, **my new beta reader! I swear you'll beta-read the next one, I was just too excited to put this up XD so sorry! throws a Mytho plushie The next one, I promise!

akaiihana


	7. Chapter 7: Suspicion and Doubt

**A/N: **So sorry, I reposted it because of a sentence I left hanging someplace .;; Thanks, Haruka-chan!

Also, I'll be reposting chapter one sometime this weekend so you might want to look at that later. XD

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**Chapter Seven: Suspicion and Doubt**

Fakir thought as hard as he could. For what reason would someone send him a note with such a message? It was just a summarized version of a ballet. What significance did it have?

_Who sent this, I wonder? And __why_

He crumpled up the tiny scroll in his clenched fist. He was about to throw it out the window, but thought better of it and instead tossed it into his bag. He couldn't understand why an anonymous note could make him feel so uneasy.

Just then, the bell rang, reminding him that he was about to be late to class. It wouldn't do at all for him to be late, since he'd just come back to school again.

"Damn it! This'll just have to wait, then," he said angrily. He strode out of the locker room, not noticing the dark silhouette hidden in the shadows watching him.

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Meanwhile, Ahiru was being stampeded by a horde of girls in _their _locker room. Of course, they couldn't remember her, but that didn't stop them. She was pinned to the wall by Lilie, whose green eyes were dancing with twinkles. Pink-haired Pique stood beside the blond girl, with a throbbing vein in her forehead. The rest of the elementary class girls crowded around them.

Ahiru was about to pass out from suffocation, as Lilie was strangling her from her over-giddiness.

"Tell us the truth! Are you going out with Fakir-sama?" Pique shouted, though not in a mean way.

"Pique, of course she is! Isn't that so adorable? Then you two can have an epic battle and I'll be there rooting for you both every step of the way!" Lilie's chokehold tightened steadily. Ahiru's face was slowly turning blue.

Ahiru smiled. It was like in the old days when Drosselmeyer's story was still controlling the town.

Lilie let go of her suddenly, and Ahiru took a deep breath and immediately fainted.

"Oh, are you alright?" Lilie said with concern.

"You did that to her." Pique said, rolling her eyes.

"No way!"

Ahiru recovered consciousness and sat up, leaning on the wall.

_Someday, Lilie's going to be the death of me… _Ahiru thought, feeling lightheaded.

"I'm Pique, this is Lilie." Pique motioned to the girl beside her, still overcome by giddiness.

"I'm Ahiru." It felt strange having to make friends all over again with them, but she was happy that they hadn't changed a bit.

"Now, tell us! Are you or are you not going out with Fakir-sama?" Pique asked urgently.

"Wha-what?! Of course I'm not! He's just a friend of mine!" Ahiru stammered, blushing. Now she knew why people had been staring at them so openly on the way to the academy. _How embarrassing!_

All the girls sighed with relief in unison. Ahiru could hardly keep from bursting with laughter. She had forgotten that Fakir had a fan club, mean-looking, scary guy that he was. Apparently these qualities of Fakir only served to make them fall even deeper in love with him.

_Tall, dark and handsome, _she thought with a smile. _The ideal guy…wait, what am I thinking?!  
_

Ahiru stood up hastily, shaking her head to clear it from her thoughts. She was still blushing.

"Really now? Just friends? Or maybe…something more?" Lilie said with a glint in her eye.

"That's it, really! Nothing more!" Ahiru said with a nervous giggle.

"We're all in the Fakir-sama faction, you see!" Pique said, motioning to the rest of the girls in the room, still crowded around them.

"Tell us about Fakir-sama!" One girl begged.

"Yes, tell us!" All the girls by now were pleading with Ahiru to tell them all she knew about their dream boy, Fakir.

"Um…well…what do you want to know about him? Ahiru asked, sweatdropping.

"What's his favorite color?"

"Do you know where he lives?"

"What kind of girl would he like?"

Ahiru was overwhelmed, all of them asking her different questions all at once. She decided she'd take it one at a time, at least the questions she could still remember.

"Well…his favorite color? I don't really think he has a particular favorite, but he likes dark colors, I guess. That's what he always wears. I don't really know what kind of girl he'd like. We never talked about that! And, um, he lives near the lake."

"Near the lake?" Their voices asked together.

"Oh, so that small house is his! I've always wondered whose it was!" One girl remarked with shining eyes.

"Wait a minute, how do you know where he lives?" Puqie asked with a raised eyebrow.

_I can't tell them I live with him! I'll create a huge scandal! All these rumors would spread around…oh no, what am I going to tell them?! _Ahiru was starting to panic, the rest of the girls were starting to look murderous.

"Well, I…um…I saw him! Yeah!"

"No way! Don't lie, Ahiru! Tell us the truth!" Lilie's hands were flexing into her well-known vise grip. Ahiru eyed it nervously. She had no choice now.

_"I…um…live…with…him…"_

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Fakir, passing by the corridor to the ballet studio, felt his hair stand on end as from the end of the corridor, there were simultaneous bloodcurdling screams.

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"You WHAT?!" Pique shrieked.

Ahiru winced. She was in for it now.

"You live with him?!"

"You're so lucky!!"

"How does it feel living with him? Is it scary?"

"Do you share a _room?!"_

Luckily, at that moment, the bell rang.

"OH NO, WE'RE GOING TO BE LATE!"

A pack of girls stampeded out of the locker room, leaving Ahiru in their wake. She stood up quickly, though.

"OH NO, I'M GOING TO BE LATE!"

She ran out of the room quickly, trying to keep up with the rest of the girls. She finally caught up to them and they all barged into the ballet studio.

"Oh no."

Ivan-sensei stood beside the window. Without turning around, he knew that all of them had come in late. Who wouldn't, with all the noise they'd made?

"Girls. You are all late. What is the meaning of this?" He thundered, finally turning around and fixing his gaze on the paralyzed elementary class girls.

"We-we-we…um…"

"We're very sorry, Ivan-sensei! Please forgive us!"

"Such tardiness, and making noises as well! Shall I have you all m-m-marry me?!" Ivan-sensei's heat of passion was starting up again. The girls, frozen with fear, could hear a wedding march being played.

"We're very sorry! It won't happen again!" All of the girls said in unison, bowing hastily. They all ran hurriedly to where the other students were seated on the floor, leaving Ivan-sensei rolling repeatedly on the floor in the frustration of still being unable to find a wife.

Fakir watched the blue-eyed clumsy girl, expressionless as always. His curiosity about the anonymous note piqued as he considered the ways in which it could tie in with her. That is, if it did. He just wanted class to end as soon as possible so that he could start looking for the note's author.

The other female students were discussing happily together in hushed voices the fact that the extremely handsome Fakir had come back to school, and the fact that he had a girl walking with him, and the revelations from Ahiru in the girls' locker room.

After a while, Ivan-sensei recovered from his disappointment. He stood up and brushed himself off as though nothing had ever happened.

"Now, students, I have a special announcement to make. This week, we will be holding auditions for a ballet which will be performed at the Arts Festival to be held two months from now."

The students were all whispering excitedly to one another, with the obvious exception of Fakir, as well as some of the more well behaved members of the advanced class. Ivan-sensei waited for them to calm down before continuing his announcement.

"I encourage all of you to practice hard and improve, and you may be able to obtain a part in the ballet. The ballet will be _The Nutcracker, _as the Arts Festival will be held around Christmas time."

_It'd be nice to try out for a part, _Ahiru thought, _but it isn't like I'm even going to manage to get into the corps de ballet._

"Ahiru, are you going to try out for a part?" Pique, sitting beside her, asked.

"I don't think I'm going to get a part," Ahiru said, laughing nervously, "I'm not really much of a dancer."

"Try out anyway! That way, you can come back to us in the depths of despair after not managing to get a part!" Lilie said, hugging Ahiru so tightly that it felt as though she was being strangled again.

"Speaking of which, we haven't seen you dance yet. You think Ivan-sensei's going to ask you to?" Pique wondered.

"What?! No way, I wouldn't survive!" Ahiru blanched at the mere thought of it. One would think that she had gotten used to it, after dancing with Rue, and even Fakir, onstage. At least then she had had a partner. To dance alone would be unthinkable.

"Students, we have a new pupil here today," Ivan-sensei continued, cutting into Ahiru's train of panicky thought. "Ahiru-san, please stand."

Ahiru obediently stood and faced the rest of the class. She could already feel her knees shaking.

"It's very nice to meet all of you," Ahiru said rather unsteadily, and bowed to the class.

A chorus of "It's nice to meet you"s and other variations came from the class.

"I hope you will make her feel welcome here. Now, Ahiru-san has told me that she has taken ballet before." Ivan-sensei went on. "Would you please show us an example of your dancing, Ahiru-san?"

_Oh no, it's just what Pique and Lilie told me! _Ahiru turned pale.

"Um…well…I don't…I-Ivan-sensei…"

"Don't be nervous. You can choose a partner from the class if you think you can't dance solo right now. Feel free to dance a pas de deux with someone."

Ahiru eyed the other students nervously. She had no idea who she was going to ask to dance with her.

"I'm sure Fakir-sama would be happy to dance with her, Ivan-sensei!" Lilie suddenly yelled, green eyes gleaming. Pique immediately clamped a hand over her mouth. The blond girl continued speaking nonetheless, but by now, her words were unintelligible as Pique's hand was muffling her mouth.

Ivan-sensei looked mildly surprised, then a knowing expression came over his face.

"Yes, indeed, Fakir-san. Why don't you dance with Ahiru-san? This way, we can see you dance as well, as the rest of the class has not seen you in a long time."

Fakir scowled. There it was again. Why was it that Ivan-sensei seemed to know him although they had never met before?

"Fine, I will." He said briefly, standing.

Ahiru sweatdropped. To dance with Fakir now after all that the girls had learned from her would be disastrous, but they had no other choice since Ivan-sensei had requested them to. As it was, the rest of the students were whispering excitedly again. Fakir walked to the front to stand beside Ahiru.

"Let's just get this over with," Fakir said, frowning at this inconvenience. Of course, Ahiru wasn't the inconvenience. It was the fact that he would have to dance with her before the entire ballet school. It was like their pas de deux all over again when Paulamoni from the Eleki Troupe had asked Ahiru to dance, and he'd volunteered so that Mytho wouldn't be able to dance with her.

"Fakir, I don't think I can do this," Ahiru said worriedly.

"Don't be nervous. I know you can dance decently even as Ahiru." Fakir said unconcernedly.

Ahiru glowered at him with mixed feelings. Was that an insult or a compliment?

"Besides, this isn't the first time we'll be dancing together in front of them, and that look on Ivan-sensei's face tells me it's not going to be the last, either. Just concentrate and listen to what I tell you to do."

"Okay," Ahiru said, feeling slightly braver.

"Ready?" Ivan-sensei asked, as the music began to play. It was the dance of the Prince and the Sugarplum Fairy from _The Nutcracker_.

Slowly, they began to dance, with Fakir leading, Ahiru hesitating, fearful of making a mistake. Little by little, Ahiru gained confidence and danced more freely, no longer hampered by anxiety.

Fakir lifted her and held her by the waist, turning around and around while her legs were in a split position. He put her down gently, and she lifted one leg behind her in a graceful second arabesque. He held one arm above her head as she pirouetted, his hand on her waist turning her.

The music came to an end, and they gracefully bowed to the class, holding hands. They looked up to see the stares of the students filled with open admiration and astonishment.

"Very good," Ivan-sensei said with satisfaction. "You are a talented dancer, as I expected, Fakir-san. Ahiru-san, you are not as bad as you think you are," smiling at the two. Ahiru blushed at the unexpected compliment.

Before she knew it, she had been pulled back down onto the floor by Lilie and Pique, whose faces were wet with tears.

"We didn't know you danced so well!" Lilie cooed, the ever-present glint in her eyes dancing merrily, as she pinched Ahiru's cheeks.

"You almost got us believing you that you were a horrible dancer!" Pique added, eyes shining with admiration.

"Um…well…Fakir helped…" Ahiru stammered. She was unused to their praise, previously they had not ever admired her dancing in the least.

"Of course he did! He just couldn't stand seeing you, the love of his life, suffering because of your inability to dance properly!" Lilie shook Ahiru happily. She turned bright red.

"What?! Fakir doesn't l-love me! We're just friends!"

"That's what you think, Ahiru!" Pique exclaimed with a smug grin.

_Oh no, I hope he didn't hear what Lilie said! This is so embarrassing! Fakir doesn't like me in that way at all!! _she thought, panicking. She glanced quickly in his direction. He was sitting with his dark bangs covering his face, as always. He didn't look like he had heard. She let out a sigh of relief.

_But then again, when did Fakir ever care about stupid things like that? He probably wouldn't even care even if he did hear, _she thought, sighing again, this time with frustration with Fakir. But then again, he wouldn't be Fakir if he weren't always hiding his feelings.

"You two look so perfect together," Pique said, sighing.

"When he breaks your heart, you'll have us to come crying back to, don't forget!" Lilie said fervently, pinching Ahiru's cheeks again. "You're just so cute!"

"Making noise again, are we, girls?" Ivan-sensei's voice rose dangerously behind them. "Maybe you are doing this on purpose so that you will have to m-m-marry me?" His voice rose passionately with every word he spoke. The aura of tension was present again, but strangely, it dissipated quickly.

"Then again, I suppose I can't marry Ahiru-san since she's already married to –"

"WHAAAAT?!" Ahiru blurted out, shocked. "I-I'm not married to anyone!"

"Hmm. Which means, I'll have to marry Pique and Lilie as punishment!" The aura of fervor had returned as quickly as it had dispelled. Pique and Lilie had clammed-up faces, huddled close together.

"No! We're sorry, Ivan-sensei!" They cried concurrently. Ivan-sensei was reduced to pounding on the piano keys from his utter disappointment, mush to the dismay and chagrin to the red-haired pianist.

"Class is ended for today, you are all dismissed." Ivan-sensei said, shortly after recovering from his fit of distress. The class filed out quietly into their respective locker rooms to change back into their uniforms. As Ahiru was passing out the door, a hand grabbed her arm just as she was stepping out of the studio, pulling her back inside.

She found herself staring into dark viridian eyes that held strange emotions that she had never seen there before. She'd never seen them so close…

"Ahiru. I'll wait for you outside after you change. There's something we have to talk about," he said in his deep voice, rudely awakening Ahiru from her thoughts.

"O-okay."

As she watched him walk away, her brow furrowed with worry. What had happened to make Fakir look like that?

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A/N: I wrote a longer chapter this time. I felt like it wasn't being very fair for me to write such short chapters. In any case, not much happened in this chapter, but I'll be putting a lot of explanations and such in the next chapter, and the plot's also going to progress a lot. Don't miss it:D

Thanks to the readers who favorited this story or put it into their alerts. Also, thanks to the people who reviewed the last chapter: **Mikure, Technopoptart, LunaSphere **(thanks so much for the constructive criticism)**, Akku-chan, Rei Sabere, **and** superkawaiifoxy! **I'm sorry if I missed anyone out, I'm really sleepy right now T.T

Thanks a whooooole bunch to **HARUKA MINAMONO, **my beta who proofread it magnificently! Thanks for all your help with this! You have no idea how much it's appreciated. I'll be using your suggestions for the next chapter. xD

Also, thanks a lot to **Technopoptart **for volunteering to make fanart for this story! I'll be looking forward to seeing your work :D

Thanks so much, everyone!

akaiihana


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